Hurt
by oneanimelover
Summary: He did his best to protect and keep everyone out of harm's way. She's a seasoned warrior and is more than capable of protecting herself. So why would she allow herself to get hurt?
1. Chapter 1

The silence that hung in the air was deafening.

Everybody, every *soul,* in the great Kuchiki hall recognized the spiritual pressure that inexplicably sky-rocketed at that moment.

A handful of Shinigami - either the bravest or the most stupid, depends on who you're asking - treaded slowly towards the doors to investigate.

One, from the few hundred guests in the room, dared to make a sound.

A throaty chuckle pierced the quiet.

Sets of eyes searched for the culprit and fell upon his form: a man, jaw covered in dark, rough hair, with arms crossed in front of his chest and a smile on his lips.

One of the former captains of the Gotei Thirteen.

Beside him was another who held the same title. He had on a similar smirk but allowed half his face to be covered by the shadow of a small hat. "It seems as though Ichigo is about to go bankai."

"No," the other corrected, nonchalantly, "feels more like he's ready to go hollow."

Scared glances and hushed murmurs among several of those in attendance.

"Now would be a good time to see what is going on." A lady finally spoke, smaller in stature beside the two males. She too, seemed in the same spirits as her peers, with her teeth brilliantly displayed and her golden eyes danced.

The Lord of the Manor overlooked the tone that the woman, another former captain, threw in his direction.

His house, his responsibility, yes.

He knew his role as host. He did not need to be reminded of that.

Without so much as a sound, he took long strides towards the doors. The crowd parted wordlessly to let him pass; even the small group that had earlier inched their way to the wooden egress.

Uncertain of what to expect, his hand rested steadily on the hilt of his zanpaku-to, just in case.

He reaches to slide the screen open, a little more forcefully than he had intended.

The mansion's largest and most elaborate garden was absolutely picturesque in the bright, palliative glow of the full moon who graced the evening's celebration with her presence.

Byakuya Kuchiki managed to distinguish three figures on the small, intricate bridge that arched over the Koi pond in the middle of the artificially crafted haven.

One was of his adopted sister: Assistant Captain of Division Thirteen, Rukia Kuchiki. He recognized her petite form easily despite having her back to him. The formal purple kimono she had on for the festivity was another obvious giveaway.

The second figure was of the Shinigami Daiko. The towering stance and unruly orange hair are features identifiable with the human.

Ichigo Kurosaki, war-hero, savior of the three realms and protector of all, was pissed.

Very, very pissed.

The Division Six Captain warily approached and was about to call out to his sister when he saw it.

Or rather, him.

The third form.

A guest from one of the noble houses.

"Lord Byakuya!"

One of the Byakuya's eyebrows arched as the man, half-crawled, half-scrambled to his feet and clung to the edge of his pristine white haori. It was only then did he notice that the nobleman was trembling despite being on his knees, so close to the solid ground.

"Lord Byakuya!" he cried once again, regaining his attention. "Please save me!"

The man looked up at him, his eyes wet with tears.

He was absolutely petrified.

"What -?"

"He. Hurt. Rukia."

It was Ichigo who spoke; barely a whisper, with each word punctuated.

Byakuya turned to his sister and saw that she had her right hand cradled tenderly by her left.

She did not – dared not to - meet her brother's eyes.

"Leave."

That one word caused the already traumatized aristocrat to once again scamper, fully understanding that he had one chance to get away. He wobbled, ran and inelegantly screamed for his dear life finding his way out of the vast property that belonged to the Kuchiki clan.

The crowd that was once contained in the enclosed hall had all but spilled out into the garden. All encouraged to eavesdrop by curiosity.

Almost all, those who knew the three Reapers, either as comrades or family, tried to keep their chortles to themselves.

All those related to the pitiable soul, by blood or clan affiliation, on the other hand, were not amused.

"This incident will not be ignored." Byakuya's voice was deceptively calm. "You will hear from us soon."

They bowed to acknowledge the inevitable, knowing full well that they had worn out their welcome. They took their leave, fearful of the shame their relative brought to their good name.

The jovial head of the Kurosaki household took this as his cue to approach.

"Rukia, let me have a look at that."

She offered him her right hand without hesitation. She knew, despite his blaring persona, that he was a good man and an excellent healer. She tried her best to control her instinct to retract it when the human doctor gently coaxed her appendage to do a small rotation.

There was definitely some discomfort.

Isshin Kurosaki eyed his son, noticing that his spiritual pressure had barely dropped since… whatever it was that happened there. He decided that it was not a good time to mention that there was some bruising around the female's wrist. It was at the very least strained, nothing serious, but there was no need to feed the flames, so to speak.

His son was obviously in no good mood, so his priority was tending to the lovely Kuchiki.

"Yuzu! Karin! Prepare a suitable spot where I can treat your sister." He shamelessly called out as he ignored the glare that Byakuya sent his way upon hearing the words, 'your sister.'

An attentive "YES!" in two pitches came from somewhere in the mob of Shinigami. The Kurosaki twins' fondness for Rukia was no secret among the group. They genuinely wondered about the extent of her injury and did not contradict their father's instruction (or affectionate nickname for the Kuchiki female).

"Let us go inside, dear third daughter of mine," Isshin said, once again ignoring the Kuchiki Lord at his blatant declaration. "It's getting a little chilly and I shall tend to you where you can be comfortable and warm."

Rukia simply nodded and allowed herself to be led. She tried to steal a glance at Ichigo, who hasn't moved since he felt the need to stare down her assailant, but Isshin intentionally blocked her view. He gave her a smile, somehow reassuring her, and she continued to walk forward with him. When she felt all eyes of the prying crowd on her, Rukia became extremely self-conscious and turned her gaze down to the cobbled pathway.

"Now, now, nothing to see here, the whole lot of you!" The doctor mock-scolded, but his eyes held enough seriousness for the horde to slowly fall back inside.

The doors were hurriedly shut behind them effectively leaving the two Shinigami males alone.

"He hurt Rukia. I saw him grab her, pull on her. He -"

"I see."

For the first time since he had found them, Ichigo turned to face him, his expression fuming.

"You haven't even heard -"

"I have heard enough."

"Do you not care about what could have happened to Rukia?"

"Appropriate action will be taken." Byakuya paused, his demeanor or his tone unchanging. "There is no need for you to further concern yourself."

Ichigo flared a little more with the statement.

The Captain knew that Ichigo, aside from himself and his lieutenant, Renji Abari, was very protective of Rukia. But he had protocol to follow as clan leader. Violence is not the answer to everything.

Even if he himself wanted to unleash his shikai on the bastard that made the mistake of manhandling his sister.

"You may join us once you have regained control."

Ichigo huffed and resisted the strong urge to draw his zanpaku-to.

But he held the impulse in; out of reverence, maybe. He was a guest at the Kuchiki home and it was bad enough that he had created a scene with his inability to hold in his reiatsu. Rukia was with his dad; and even if he would never say it out loud, he believed that she was in good hands.

He waited until Byakuya re-entered the hall and slid the door closed behind him.

Ichigo turned once again and headed the opposite direction.

He needed time to be alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Rukia Kuchiki advanced slowly.

It was not deliberately. She believed that she didn't need to be cautious of the Shinigami substitute despite his temperament.

But the damned form-fitting floral garb she was coerced into wearing by tradition restricted her mobility.

Finding Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't difficult at all. His reiatsu still leaked like the gushing, untended faucet that it was since he acquired access to his powers. Anyone with the most basic training on the matter would easily be able to pinpoint him.

It was upon her (and an adamant Isshin Kurosaki's) insistence that she be the one to bring him back to the party.

It was either her or Kenpachi Zaraki, since he offered first, but everyone, surprisingly, including his own division's lieutenant, third and fifth seats, voted against it.

She released a little of her own spiritual energy to let him know that she was there.

He raised his head but made no other effort.

"Rukia."

He continued to stare ahead of him, as if the topiary truly had his undivided interest.

They were in another of the gardens; considerably smaller than the main one, but immaculate, like all the others. He wasn't even sure how he got there, but he figured it was far enough from the festivities to give him some much needed quiet.

"You've been gone for almost two hours. Everyone's worried about you."

He still refused to look at her even when she had stepped beside him.

It was taking a lot for the petite shinigami not to hit him. She had always been brutal when it came to his sulking.

But that was only because she knew then what was weighing the daiko down.

This time, this one time, Rukia did not know what was troubling him.

"Ichigo, tell me what's wrong. Why are you being like this?"

Patience is certainly not one of her best virtues.

She sighed. She was trying, for his sake, to understand.

The night's events replayed in her mind...

For what felt like the first time in her life as a Kuchiki, she enjoyed the obligation of playing hostess. She divided herself well; spending a little of her time with all that she could:

\- shared a drink (or two) with Renji, Rangiku, Izuru, Shuhei and Yumichika;

\- had a good laugh with Orihime, Tatsuki, Yasutora (Chad), Uryu and Mizuiro - at Keigo's expense;

\- face-palmed together with Kukaku, Yurouichi, Yuzu, Karin and Hanataro at Ganju, Isshin and Kisuke's antics;

\- prevented separate brawls instigated by Ikkaku and Tetsuzaemon and Hiyori and Shinji;

\- appeased every short-tempered, bored-to-tears Shinigami including Yachiru, Toshiro, Mayuri and Kensei, among several others; and,

\- had rousing conversations with the Commander-General, all the other captains and seated officers in attendance.

She was such in high spirits that even the once dreaded task of mingling with the guests from the noble houses did not seem so arduous at all. When she decided to take a breather, she wordlessly saw herself out and proceeded to the garden outside the hall to recharge. It had only been a minute when she noticed that someone had followed her.

The man was pleasant at first, making small talk about how lovely the evening was and how interesting the mix of guests were.

It was quite rare for the upper-class to socialize with the common folk, after all.

The insult about her comrades and friends was ignored, since it was so subtly put.

She watched him approach; thinking there was no harm in it since he was a guest. But when he started rambling about how talks of her downplayed beauty and grace were true and how she would indeed make a wonderful prize, she became... skeptical of her decision. She had politely excused herself but he had grabbed her by the wrist. She tried to wriggle free but his hold only tightened. When she asked to be released he only gave her a sneer before pulling her into a hug. She cursed inwardly; among the thousands she directed at her being a Kuchiki noblewoman. She asked once more, still squirming in his grasp, while a hand leisurely explored her back and was coming dangerously low. It was then when a burst of strong spiritual pressure stopped both of them from any movement.

The aristocrat was not used to exposure to such power and began choking, gasping for air. He had released her and fell on his knees as the source came close. He managed by the slightest bit to lift his head but meeting the enraged gaze only made the tightening of his chest worse as if his whole being was being crushed with a single, scorching stare.

Rukia stood still and held her injured hand to her chest.

He stood in front of her and continued to glower at the wretched man.

Her brother's arrvial had somewhat eased the pressure in the vicinity, permitting the disgraced lord to move and beg for mercy at his feet.

The memory ended abruptly.

"Why did you let him hurt you?"

Startled at the sound of his voice, she turned her head to glance at him. He was still looking forward but she realized from the determined set on his jaw that he wanted an answer.

"He seemed friendly, harmless. Furthermore, he was an honored guest. I thought that I couldn't …"

A spike in his spiritual pressure; a big one.

"... fight back because he's from a rich family that's friends with the great Kuchikis?"

He faced her, the anger in his eyes burned through her as he stared her down.

She was almost scared of him now.

Almost.

"Byakuya put you up to this, didn't he?" He accused, his voice booming. "And you allowed yourself to..."

Ichigo's rampage was cut short when a sharp pain shot through his left shin.

After a rather unmanly yelp and a few uncharacteristic hops in a circle, he swallowed what felt remained of his pride and settled for glaring at the small woman in front of him.

How she managed to kick him – HARD - wearing that kimono was beyond him.

"YOU FOOL! LET ME FINISH!"

And just like that, the reiatsu fueled by rage sputtered into nothing as shock doused the anger that consumed him.

"I don't understand why you're so riled up about this." Rukia said as she returned his glare, all hopes of her being reasonable gone.

"Why?" he echoed in irritation. "You know what he would have done to you if I wasn't there?" His voice was low but it made her take a step back. "You purposely let him hurt you!"

"We've been through this, Ichigo. I do not need you to save me."

"Not with what happened." He ground out, still keeping his eyes on hers. "I know you are perfectly capable of defending yourself. So, WHY did you let him hurt you?"

"As I was going to say, before you so rudely interrupted me," she began, unfazed by the growl that came with the question, "I THOUGHT that I COULDN'T, that I SHOULDN'T fight back; that I wasn't supposed to."

She unconsciously gripped her right wrist with her left hand.

"I have to think of our name. I am a Kuchiki after all. My actions are a reflection of the clan's pride and honor."

Byakuya's words, he knew.

"So I was right, your brother..."

"... already chastised me."

Ichigo blinked.

Wait.

"What?"

"Brother is extremely concerned about my well-being. He assured me that there will be repercussions. Brother also said that should I ever find myself in the same situation again, I am to act accordingly." She paused, a small smirk on her lips. "That I should hit the bastard where it hurts the most."

An idea Ichigo and the obnoxious captain agreed on.

"Then I should go bankai for good measure."

Ah.

He closed his eyes and smiled.

Rukia took a deep breath, relieved, seeing that he was finally pacified.

A surprised gasp escaped her when she felt one of his calloused hands wrap around her formerly injured right wrist to bring it up to his line of sight.

"Your father already healed it."

"How bad was it?"

"A little bruising around and some discomfort."

"I see."

She watched him as they talked and noticed how much his features have softend since; his demeanor completely the opposite of earlier.

He felt her eyes; quietly assessing him.

"I told you before, worry about yourself for a change." His thumb idly stroked the back of her hand as he said those words. "No one is allowed to hurt you."

She nodded, her gaze not leaving his.

"And I told you before, I'm not going to say, 'thank you.'"

An annoyed grunt.

But he grinned, nonetheless. "I know."

"We should return to the mansion."

He nodded as he slowly released her hand.

"Rukia…"

"Yes?"

"You look… nice."

Her violet orbs went wide in confusion; not sure if he was teasing or…

"Idiot." she muttered under her breath, not being able to do anything about the warmth spreading across her cheeks. "Can't even give a decent compliment."

He expected another kick or possibly a smack up the head.

Neither came.

"Ichigo."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He chuckled and gave her a gentle nudge (well, as gentle as a 5'11" brute can give a 4'8" lady). "I thought you said that you weren't going to thank me?" he teased.

She huffed and tried to kick him again but her kimono, this time around, did not grant her the movement she desired. "I wasn't thanking you for that." Rukia settled for glaring at him, again, as she spoke. "It was for your sorry excuse at flattery."

"You're welcome. I meant it, by the way."

She cursed at the blush that would not leave her.

"Let's go." he said, as he strode past her.

"Ichigo."

He spun to face her.

Rukia didn't know WHY, but she found herself slowly bringing her hand up in front of her; nervously waiting for him to take it.

A breeze swept through them ruffling his hair and blowing through her kimono.

She lowered her eyes, not wanting for him to see the hurt in them. What was she thinking?! Her hand ungracefully fell and she took a step forward, keeping her gaze to the ground.

Her head snapped upwards when she felt a large hand wrap itself around her smaller one.

When he had gone back to her, she didn't even notice.

She couldn't stop the smile that was tugging at her mouth.

If she had bothered to look at him, she would have seen that his expression mirrored her own.

They walked together, side by side, for a while before he tenderly coaxed her fingers to entwine with his own.

She liked the feel of his hand on hers.

As did he.

They continued their stroll, unspeaking, back to the hall; both grateful for the night that hid their flushed faces.


	3. OMAKE

**OMAKE**

There was an unspoken agreement between the two of them that they were to talk after things have settled for the night. They had reluctantly released their hold on each other; put at ease by reassuring smiles.

Ichigo Kurosaki immediately took on a scowl; genuinely unhappy about having to let go of her hand.

Rukia Kuchiki put on her best poker face; having to keep her disappointment in check for the duration of the evening's affair.

Keeping a modest distance apart, they slid the screen door open.

Whatever chatter was on-going that moment, stopped.

Silence.

All eyes were on them.

Unfortunately for the two, the forgotten tell-tale blushes did not go unnoticed by the pack.

Catcalls rampant and teasing on an all-time high, Ichigo feigned annoyance and threatened to beat sense into his friends while Rukia, seemingly appalled, vehemently denied the speculations.

In one of the far corners of the room, the former Squad Ten Captain excitedly shook the stoic Captain of the Sixth by the shoulders.

"I won't say, 'I told you so,' Byakuya, but, if THAT isn't proof enough, then I don't know what is."

A resigned sigh from the poised noble (as soon as he was released by the hyperactive man).

"It is inevitable, then, Shiba..." he paused then corrected himself, "…Kurosaki that we are to discuss their arrangements soon."

"What's this? No resistance from Byakuya-boy? Have you gone soft on Ichigo?" Yoruichi Shihoin chided.

The head of the Kuchiki family did not reply. He would never admit out loud that the orange-haired ruffian had earned his respect a long while ago.

Kisuke Urahara smiled mischievously behind his open fan. "You know, those two move awfully slow, given the circumstances. Perhaps we could give them a friendly nudge..."

"Don't." The former Second Squad Captain warned.

"But I want grandchildren."

"Don't rush them. You can wait."

"You realize that it could take them years before they progress any further than that."

"Don't interfere. They will figure it out on their own."

"They shall be escorted by a chaperone at all times."

"You're kidding, right?" Her cat-like eyes were met with a serious grey stare. "Don't answer that... and don't even think about it."

Protests fell on the three men's lips as the former leader of the punishment force asserted her stand, in silence, on the matter.

Knowing that she had won, this round, at least, she finally turned her attention to the young couple, who had their own hands full.

Questions and more teasing came, overwhelming the pair but since they were among friends and comrades, the banter was good-natured - even with the many promises of hurt thrown in between.

The unlikely foursome continued to observe, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Hmmm."

"Isshin, this had better not be the beginning of some twisted plot to..."

"No." the rarely serious man replied, pointing to where his son and his self-declared third daughter stood side by side. "Byakuya, I'm sure you've noticed by now."

He gave the slightest nod.

"Oh?" the ever curious shopkeeper exclaimed, focusing his spiritual energy within himself so that he could "see" for himself what it is his friend had discovered.

All Shinigami are capable of sensing reiatsu.

Only a talented few, mostly captain classes, are able to SEE reiatsu.

"My, my… what's this? Entwining spiritual energies?" Kisuke chuckled. "Now we know why they're so compatible."

"YES!" Isshin did a small goofy dance, thankfully unseen by anyone else. "Guaranteed grand children!"

Byakuya uncharacteristically mumbled as he allowed an almost undetectable smile to tug at his mouth. "Soul mates."

Yoruichi grinned, genuinely happy for them. "That they are. That indeed they are."

END.

* * *

Author's Notes (EDITED, January 24, 2016):

Hello, this chapter is an OMAKE or an Extra.

The end of this story is actually Chapter 2, which is why the status is already 'completed' by the time I added this part. I simply wanted this up for the fun of it. I adore both Isshin as the idiotic father and Byakuya as the redeeming brother. I thought to balance them out with Kisuke's scheming and Yoruichi's woman-in-charge attitude. And surely, with these four great Shinigami together, something is bound to be plotted, contradicted and discovered…

I've imagined this to be after the Thousand-Year Blood War Arc. In my universe, everyone's alive and well and still friends (I know that's not how a war works, but I crave happy endings). I've honestly been waiting for Isshin to get involved somehow… a Captain-class Shinigami can't possibly just sit this one out (despite him having daughters to look after). And really, after all that Ichigo and Uryu have been through it's hard to imagine them as anything else but friends/comrades.

Thanks for reading!

BLEACH is by Mr. Tite Kubo.

May he make Ichigo and Rukia officially a romantic couple.

Here's hoping…


End file.
